Book Review- Under the Never Sky

I finished reading Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.
 
This book took quite a while for the story to get going for me.  And because of that, I never really became invested in it.  That's not to say that the story wasn't good.  I just didn't fall in love with it.
 
The premise of the story is certainly interesting.  Living in a dome with all of your social interactions done in what's like a virtual reality world.  Although the idea of a Smarteye kind of creeps me out.  I guess it's kind of like a contact lens but it just sounds way too painful.  And then there's the Outsiders.  Some of whom have special gifts.  They all live in different tribes (including one group of cannibals!)  Such an interesting world this book was set in.
 
And there was certainly enough action.  So I'm not sure why I felt like it dragged.  Maybe it took a while for the characters to develop.  I'm not sure.  So why I did enjoy it, it just took me a while.
 
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
 
Under the Never Sky will be released on January 3, 2012.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2011 100+ Reading Challenge: 111
2011 ARC Reading Challenge: 90
2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 90
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.